Upper Cumberland Schools Directors say that the new public school funding model could be a good opportunity if done correctly.
However, White County Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger said that he questions making the move to a new funding formula.
“We don’t know if the current BEP formula might be successful if it were properly funded,” Dronebarger said. “So I wanted to get those statements out there. I do feel like this is the direction the state is going to go regardless but I wanted to be on the record as saying that we haven’t adequately funded the existing formula, so if we’re going to make the move to go to something else let’s make sure we fund that.”
Dronebarger said that at a recent meeting with several directors of schools, not a single one voted to make the move to a new funding formula. He said that while this could be a great thing for the state, there are too many unknowns at this time.
Putnam County Director of Schools Corby King said that it’s important to ensure equity across all school districts in the state. He said that because the Upper Cumberland region is considered a more rural area, there needs to be adequate funding for UC students to get the same opportunities as students in more metro districts.
“We all agree that funding in Tenense is inadequate, that we need increased funding,” King said. “And the General Assembly’s been working over the last several years to do that. It’s encouraging to hear that they are looking to increase student funding, we hear that from the Commissioner. And I think we have an appetite in Tennessee from the General Assembly and the Comissioner to put more funds into education, but what that’s gonna look like is where all those questions come from.”
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